[New trends in the study of protein glycosylation in oncological diseases].

Glycomics and glycoproteomics represent relatively new directions in detail analyses of complex bio-logical media. These areas of increasing importance to cancer research complement the more established genomic profiling and proteomics. Glycoproteins are being increasingly recognized as important in cellular interactions and adhesion. Structural alterations of their glycan moieties seem to occur in different cancer conditions. We review current directions in glycomic profiling and glycoproteomic investigations of bio-logical fluids and tissues pertaining to cancer. The used methods rely on capillary separation techniques, mass spectrometry, and the glycan and lectin arrays. They all show considerable promise for new diagnostic and prognostic measurements.